Abstract:

Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) is a major constraint limiting the improvement of quinoa yield and quality. To enhance the understanding of the regulatory mechanisms underlying PHS in quinoa and advance research on management strategies, this study reviews the progress on PHS in quinoa over the past five years. Key influencing factors such as seed physiological characteristics, environmental conditions, and phytohormones are discussed, and the genetic regulatory basis and technical approaches for PHS control are outlined. Studies indicate that quinoa PHS is co-regulated by seed dormancy characteristics, endosperm structure, and interactions between ambient temperature and humidity. Various phytohormones coordinate the balance between dormancy and germination through signaling networks, and key genes involved in related metabolic pathways have been preliminarily identified. Key loci such as CqNCED provide important molecular targets for breeding pre-harvest sprouting-resistant varieties. Although multi-omics approaches and biotechnological applications have become important tools in studies on PHS in quinoa, the key regulatory mechanisms still require further elucidation. For instance, the coupling mechanisms between environmental and hormone signaling remain unclear, and the dormancy regulatory pathways specific to quinoa are still not fully validated. Future efforts should strengthen the application of advanced breeding technologies such as gene editing and haploid breeding to promote the development of new quinoa germplasm with enhanced resistance to pre-harvest sprouting, thereby providing technical support for the sustainable development of the quinoa industry.

Key words: quinoa, pre-harvest sprouting, phytohormones, molecular mechanism, control strategy